Archive for the 'Pastors' Category
What To Do When Deadlines Are Pressing In On You?
Right now many deadlines are pressing in on me. Has that ever happened to you? I remember when the only pressure I had was that of sermon preparation for Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night. While those deadlines were pressing in on me weekly and it was real, it seems the longer I am in ministry the more deadlines I face.
I have the weekly deadline of Sunday sermon preparation but if I speak away from my church during the week, then responsibilities increase. Three weeks ago I preached on Sunday morning, spoke in Alabama on Tuesday, spoke in Missouri on Thursday, hosted and spoke at our Men’s Conference on Friday and Saturday, went through Sunday, and then left for the Holy Land on Monday.
Most of the way to Israel, I was working on church matters and preparing to speak to our tour group while in the Holy Land. While on the way home, sermon preparation was raging again and additional writing assignments, both for our church and others that serve the greater body of Christ, were looming. Deadlines. Deadlines. Deadlines.
Every pastor and leader I know experiences the pressure and inevitability of deadlines. For most of us, those deadlines have something to do with preparation. As I evaluate my life and schedule, I give most of my life to preparation. I am always preparing to speak, or write, or lead a meeting.
It occurs to me, that deadlines pressure and influence pastors and leaders continually. Therefore, what do you do when the deadlines are pressing in on you?
Let me suggest you take the following actions:
1. Prioritize.
Prioritizing your commitments is imperative. I encourage you to take the time to list all the deadlines set before you. For a pastor, I believe our number one assignment is to feed the people of God from the Word of God. Great teaching and preaching will cover a multitude of your sins! Never let your preparation of teaching the Word slide. This is why I give my mornings to God.
Once you have written down all of your demands and pressing deadlines, prioritize. Determine what is first, second, and beyond. Operate and work your way down the list. Check off the accomplishments one by one. Any leader under pressure always does better when he knows progress is being made.
2. Prepare.
Preparation is the commitment to get “it” done and to get “it” done in the highest manner. Nothing eases the tension and pressure more than preparation. Therefore:
Prepare well.
Prepare continually.
Prepare for the best.
Prepare for the worst.
Prepare for success.
3. Position.
Position yourself to finish the task. As you prioritize your demands and prepare to get your assignments done, you are positioning yourself for success one task at a time. As progress is being made on your to-do list and deadlines are being met, you are positioning yourself for peace rather than pressure.
4. Produce.
We don’t talk about it much in ministry, but let’s get real; we are expected to produce! I have always identified with football coaches and I have been blessed to have many of them come through my ministry. Our church’s proximity to the University of Arkansas has afforded me many coaching friends over the years.
The one thing coaches and I have talked about is how people expect us to produce! While pastors do not have a scoreboard like coaches, people keep score on us daily. Most coaches and most pastors I know realize that if things do not go well and progress, sooner or later, it will not be good. There is a price to pay for success and there is a price to pay for a lack of success.
I know that I can be more productive when I prioritize matters that are pressing on me. When I refuse to quit and increase my commitment to prepare, God seems to get me through. As breathing room is experienced and latitude occurs, I position myself for greater productivity.
5. Pray.
Daily I pray through various demands being placed upon me. Daily I pray through speaking requests away from Cross Church or writing assignments requested of me by the greater body of Christ. Daily I pray through all I have before me here.
Therefore, when I pray, my heart rests in the Lord. My pressure lessens. My peace grows. My intentionality is focused. And the deadlines fall one at a time! Giving everything to God and talking about issues and tasks specifically with Him, leads me to a life led by the Holy Spirit of God. This is my peace in the midst of the pressure.
Yours For The Great Commission,
Ronnie Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
How We Package A Special Emphasis In Our Church
Often churches asked us how we package a special emphasis in our church? Well, let me show you an example of an 8-day emphasis we are doing at Cross Church for the week of Easter.
For several years I have desired to provide our people with a special series of powerful days prior to Easter Sunday. I wanted these days to assist in:
Providing a track of spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter.
Highlighting biblical passages and experiences from the final week in the life of Jesus Christ.
Experiencing the solemnness the day Jesus died on the cross, what we regard as Good Friday.
As a leader, you come to a point and determine, “I am going to do this” regardless of what appears to challenge it. I determined that in 2013, Cross Church was going to provide an 8-day spiritual experience and biblical path that would highlight some of the major events and experiences of the final week of Jesus’ life.
Highlights of “Passion Week: The Final Week in the Life of Jesus Christ”
This is our theme for our 8-day experience that will lead us to having an Easter week with great impact. I decided rather than debating a chronology of timelines for the week, I would just lead us to teach and focus on some of the highlights of the Passion Week, the final week in the life of Jesus Christ.
You can see below how we are packaging these days around this theme.
Sunday, March 24, “The Lord’s Supper: Remembering the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
On this Sunday, we will teach the Word of God from Matthew 26:26-30 and do so for about 25 minutes. Then we will lead in a meaningful Lord’s Supper service that remembers the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Monday, March 25 – Friday, March 29
For five days, Monday through Friday, we will provide a noon-day experience for our people, that will include lunch, a 10-minute worship experience through singing, followed by a 35-minute biblical exposition.
Over these five days, we will teach the following . . .
Monday, March 25, “The Garden of Gethsemane: Jesus Christ Preparing to Die”
Tuesday, March 26, “The Betrayal of Judas and the Kiss of Death”
Wednesday, March 27, “The Denials of Peter and his Deep Regret”
Thursday, March 28, “The Scourging of Jesus Christ and the Final Hours Before His Death”
Friday, March 29, “The Crucifixion and The Death of Jesus Christ”
Friday evening, March 29, “The Death and Burial of Jesus Christ”
On Friday evening, we will have a very solemn, dignified, and serious service that will lead us to remembering the death of Jesus Christ. On this evening, we will have a very powerful worship experience with the Worship Choirs of Cross Church, which will be accompanied by the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas. Interweaving in this solemn service, I will lead us to meditate upon the life of Jesus Christ, really focusing on the death of Jesus Christ, and then concluding with a talk about the burial of Jesus Christ.
This Friday evening experience will have a very unique climate and feel. We will even request those who attend to not bring applause at any time during the service. We will be there to think upon the death and burial of Jesus Christ. As we walk out in deep meditation, our hearts will be prepared for Easter weekend.
Saturday Night, March 30 and Sunday Morning, March 31, “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ From The Dead”
The people who walk with us on this track during the Passion Week, will move from solemnity to celebration. On this coming Easter weekend, our people will have the most dynamic experience they have ever had during the Passion Week. We will see the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because we have more fully understood the death and burial of Jesus Christ.
Finally . . .
This is one way we package a special emphasis in our church. I have led in this process, our Preaching Team has helped me with the Word, our Creative Worship Team has assisted us in overall experience, and our Communication Team will provide us resources to share this Passion Week vision with the masses of people in our region.
Every church does this kind of thing differently and I am sure I could learn from each of you. I hope today you have been encouraged by our methods at Cross Church.
Yours For the Great Commission,
Ronnie Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.